Bikini
English
Etymology
From German Bikini, the colonial name of the atoll as part of German New Guinea, and this was derived from Marshallese Pikinni.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbɪkɪni/, /bɪˈkiːni/
Usage notes
While the word bikini, in reference to the swimsuit, usually has just one pronunciation stressed on the second syllable, the English place name Bikini has two pronunciations. /ˈbɪkɪni/ is the older pronunciation stressed on the first syllable, and is still widely used in English by those most familiar with the atoll. /bɪˈkiːni/ is a newer pronunciation stressed on the second syllable, influenced by the swimsuit term.
French
Etymology
From English Bikini, from earlier German Bikini, the colonial name of the atoll as part of German New Guinea, and this was derived from Marshallese Pikinni.
German
Etymology 1
From Marshallese Pikinni.
Descendants
Etymology 2
From French bikini, named after the place name Bikini, from the English name of the atoll where the United States tested nuclear weapons in July 1946; it was reckoned that the bathing suit would cause as much excitement as an atom bomb. The name Bikini itself was originally the German colonial name of the atoll as part of German New Guinea, and this was derived from Marshallese Pikinni.
Noun
Bikini m (genitive Bikinis, plural Bikinis)
- A bikini, scanty two-piece bathing suit, named after the above island
Related terms
- Monokini
Further reading
- Bikini in Duden online